March 23-29 Weekly News & Log Updates

WEEKLY NEWS & LOG UPDATE March 23 – March 29

NAVAL-MARINE OPERATIONS

CHINA 16th ESCORT TASK FORCE •    See EU-Operation ATALANTA FRANCE WEST AFRICA CORYMBE TASK FORCE ·         Task Force: FS Commadant Birot (Frigate) ·         (Mar 24) FS Cmdt Birot completes CORYMBE patrol, is relieved by JEANNE DE ARC Task Force (MOD) JEAN DE ARC TASK FORCE ·         Task Force: FS Mistral (Assault Ship); FS La Fayette (Frigate) ·         (Mar 22-26) @ Atlantic; Task Force begins CORYMBE Phase with bilateral exercise EMERALD MISTRAL with Senegal (MOD) FS Jean Bart (Destroyer) ·         (Mar 20) @ Arabian Sea; French Destroyer FS Jean Bart participates in joint naval exercises with Indian Navy off Goa and Mumbai (MOD) RUSSIA MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE •    NO NEWS UNITED KINGDOM JOINT WARRIOR ·         (Mar 24) UK carrier HMS Illustrious and frigate HMS Kent departs Portsmouth for large NATO joint exercises JOINT WARRIOR off Scotland (Royal Navy) …UK units include: o    HMS Bulwark (LPD) o    HMS Illustrious (Carrier) o    HMS Dauntless (DDG) o    HMS Dragon (DDG) o    HMS Kent (FFG) o    4-MCMs o    3-RFA LSDs o    3 Commando HMS Dauntless (Destroyer) ·         (Mar 27) @ Newcastle; UK Destroyer visits its affiliated city, it’s not open for tours, but will hosts visits by the Sea Cadets and local dignitaries (Royal Navy) HMS Protector (Ice Patrol Ship) ·         (Mar 28) @ Antarctica; UK Ice Patrol Ship HMS Protector reaches Marguerite Bay, continue scientific studies and charting remote waters (Royal Navy) UNITED STATES US CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS USS Lincoln (CVN-72) ·         (Mar 28) @ Newport News; USN Carrier reaches 1-year mark in its RCOH mid-life refueling (USN) USS Truman CSG ·         (Mar 28) @ Suez Canal; CSG exits 5th Fleet AOR, enters Mediterranean (USN)   US AMPHIBIOUS READY GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) ·         (Mar 28) @ Japan; USN Command Ship concludes WESTPAC patrol, continues Security Reaction Force-Basic training started on Mar 9 (USN) USS BH Richard ARG ·         (Mar 27) @ E. China Sea; ARG begins Exercise SSANG YONG 2014 with S. Korea and USMC 3rd MEB (USN) ·         (Mar 25) @ Okinawa; ARG departs White Beach, Okinawa with 3rd MEB, will participate in Exercise SSANG YONG (Mar 27 to April 7) with S. Korean Navy and Marines (USN)   US WARSHIPS EXERCISE MULTI-SAIL 14 ·         (Mar 26) @ Pacific; USN forward deployed warships participate in 7th Fleet major exercise MULTI-SAIL-14 (USN)  …units include o    USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) o    USS John McCain (DDG-56) o    USS Lassen (DDG-82) o    USS McCampbell (DDG-85) o    USS Shiloh (CG-67) EXERCISE NOBLE DINA ·         (Mar 26) @ Mediterranean; USN begins active phase of naval exercise NOBLE DINA with Greece and Israel (USN) …units include o    USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) o    USS Ramage (DDG-61) o    USNS Lenthall (T-AO-189) o    P-3 aircraft from Patrol Squadron-3 USS RG Bradley (FFG-49) ·         (Mar 28) @ Mayport; USN Frigate is decommissioned after nearly 30-years of service (USN) USS Frank Cable (AS-40) ·         (Mar 27) @ Thailand; USN submarine tender visits Sattahip, is visited by Thai chefs for cooking lessons in Thai food (USN)   USS Miami (SSN-755) ·         (Mar 28) @ Maine; USN formally decommissions the Los Angeles Class Fast Attack Submarine USS Miami (USN) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS EU – OPERATION ATALANTA (CTF-465) •    (Mar 28) @ Crete; German Frigate FGS Brandenburg visits Souda Bay while en-route to Gulf of Aden (Bundesmarine) •    (Mar 19-20) @ Gulf of Aden; ATALANTA LST FS Siroco and Frigate FGS Hessen participate in Exercise GOLDEN STAR with Chinese Frigate PLAN Yancheng and oiler PLAN Taihu (MOD) •    (Mar 18) @ Indian Ocean; French LST FS Siroco refuels with USNS Pecos during anti-piracy patrol off Horn of Africa (MOD) NATO – OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD (CTF-508) (Patrolled by NATO-SNMG-2) •    NO NEWS NATO – SNMG-1 •    (Mar 26) @ Norway; German Corvette FGS Magdeburg conducts small-ship exercises with Norwegian Skjold Class patrol ships and frigate Thor Heyerdahl (Bundesmarine) GERMANY ·         (Mar 28) @ Wilhelmshaven; German Frigate FGS Bremen is decommissioned following 32 years of service (Bundesmarine) ITALY ·         (Mar 27) @ Mediterranean; ITS San Giorgio (LHD) rescues 218-Migrants during Operation Mare Nostrum, then transports them to Augusta, Sicily (DIFESA)

AIR-GROUND OPERATIONS

AFRICA NO NEWS AMERICAS NO NEWS ASIA / PACIFIC RUSSIA ·         (Mar 28) Russia has started preparations to terminate bilateral agreements with Ukraine, including the 1997 agreement for the Black Sea Fleet (RIA Novosti) EUROPE UKRAINE ·         (Mar 27) Ukraine says 100,000 Russian troops are massing in its borders, are staging opposite Kharkiv and Donetsk. Ukraine expects an invasion any day now (Defense News) ·         (Mar 27) UN General Assembly approves referendum calling Crimean secession from Ukraine invalid (CNN)